AMD today announced worldwide availability of the AMD Radeon HD 7950 graphics card for desktop computers. This launch brings to market the second graphics card based on the cutting-edge 28nm process technology first introduced with the AMD Radeon HD 7970 graphics card - recognized for its excellence in performance with over 150 awards from technology media over the world.

Delivering over 2.8 TFLOPs of compute power and up to 2x the performance when two AMD Radeon HD 7950s are combined with AMD CrossFire technology, AMD Radeon HD 7900 series graphics cards are intended for gamers who never settle. AMD Radeon HD 7950 graphics cards are available from retailers worldwide, with select models starting at $449.

"With the arrival of the AMD Radeon HD 7950, AMD has set the bar exceedingly high for 28nm graphics technology and performance," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager, GPU Division, AMD. "From the wraparound immersion made possible by AMD Eyefinity multi-display technology and the AMD HD3D technology stereo 3D experience, to the incredible realism of today's DirectX 11 capable games, we're delivering an unrivaled experience for gamers. The AMD Radeon HD 7900 series products are in a class of their own."

Equipped with AMD Graphics Core Next Architecture and the latest AMD PowerTune and AMD ZeroCore Power technologies, the AMD Radeon HD 7950 GPU further extends the groundbreaking engineering AMD debuted in December 2011 with the AMD Radeon HD 7970 GPU. What's more, it delivers on the promise of DirectX 11 gaming with superior visuals and outrageous performance, as well as featuring PCI Express 3.0, AMD CrossFire technology and the AMD HD3D technology ecosystem.

The AMD Radeon HD 7950 GPU is available worldwide from add-in-board partners including Sapphire, TUL, HIS, XFX, ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI, and available via retailers and e-tailers worldwide.

I'm happily waiting on Kepler to see the overall difference. Then I will decide what to buy. Nice that AMD is first with this gen chip but the price is outrages for such minimal performance increase over last year best single GPU (GTX580).